Frequency Unit Converter | Convert between Hz, kHz, MHz, GHz and more

Frequency Unit Basics

Frequency measures how often a periodic event occurs per unit of time. The SI unit is Hertz (Hz), equal to one cycle per second, named after Heinrich Hertz. Common multiples include kHz, MHz, GHz, and THz.

Common Frequency Conversions

• 1 kHz = 1,000 Hz
• 1 MHz = 1,000,000 Hz
• 1 GHz = 1,000,000,000 Hz
• 1 THz = 10^12 Hz. 1 RPM = 1/60 Hz ≈ 0.01667 Hz.

Radio and Wireless Frequencies

• AM radio: 530–1700 kHz
• FM radio: 88–108 MHz
• WiFi 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands
• Bluetooth: 2.4 GHz
• 5G cellular: 24–86 GHz. Mobile phones use frequencies from 700 MHz to 86 GHz depending on the network.

Processor Frequencies

Modern CPU clock speeds are measured in GHz. A 3.5 GHz processor executes 3,500,000,000 clock cycles per second. Early computers operated at MHz frequencies. GPU shader units can operate at similar or higher clock speeds.

RPM in Mechanical Applications

RPM (revolutions per minute) measures rotational speed. Car engines typically idle at 600–1000 RPM and rev up to 5000–8000 RPM. Electric motors can operate from a few hundred to tens of thousands of RPM. Hard drives spin at 5,400–7,200 RPM.